Synchaeta ’s community in the urban coastal area of the Thessaloniki Bay

Rotifers’ presence and significance are being underestimated among marine zooplankton because rotifers are lost when using larger mesh size nets. Furthermore, samples’ preservation often makes species identification difficult, creating a knowledge gap regarding their diversity and abundance in coastal ecosystems. Our study aimed to address this gap by documenting the biodiversity and distribution patterns of the rotifer species, exploring their relationships with the components of the zooplankton community and determining the environmental variables driving their seasonal dynamics. Samplings were carried out in an urban coastal area in the North Aegean Sea in Greece, within two sampling periods. Four coexisting Synchaeta species were encountered, whose temporal distribution patterns were mainly driven by temperature; S. neapolitana exhibited a preference for colder temperatures, contrary to the thermophilic distribution patterns of S. baltica and S. vorax . Network analysis unveiled several negative links among Synchaeta species and other zooplankton taxa, suggesting potential competitive trophic interactions. The present study is one of the very few dealing with marine rotifers across the Mediterranean Sea and thus provides a significant contribution to our understanding of the dynamics of this group of micrometazoans.